Love doesn’t…

Love…the hardest word in the English language to comprehend. Seriously, we love our Mammaw, our babies, our poodles, and audi’s and pizza. We love that God is love. Yet, we fail to love as we have been loved; we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves. Love does no harm to a neighbor but I can tell you that if there’s something in your life that enables your neighbor to fall into judgment upon you, you’ve done him/her wrong. There are things that aren’t inherently, Scripturally wrong, but if our participation therein makes someone look at us wrong, we’ve created stumbling blocks and that is wrong (14:13). This has been weighing heavy on my heart of late because as our congregations change and new faces emerge, our behavior must stay consistent with love. Therefore love doesn’t make drinking jokes, use curse words or say anything off color (sexual, racial or otherwise). Alcohol is not illegal in the Scriptures but if we’re discussing drinking together in front of a recovering addict, we’re causing damage. Bad words are really just words like any other but if the words coming out of our mouths make people think, “I thought Christians didn’t say…” then judgment has been incurred. Seriously, guys, we’ve got to clean up our acts. Be all things for all people in order that some may be saved (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Father, please convict us where necessary, and enable us to make the changes required to live more pleasing lives for You and Your glory. I ask these things in Jesus’ Name. Amen.